Spring cleaning squared
Tidying up the sanctuary grounds after the winter’s wind and rain is always a bit of a chore, but this year Mother Nature dealt us a double-whammy. Dual ice storms first weakened and then struck down tree limbs left and right, smashing everything in their path: buildings, fences, and our reliable old Ranger pickup—but fortunately no animals or people.
The cleanup process is still continuing, more than five weeks after the worst of it. Still, we continue to see progress day by day. And this progress is due not only to our hardworking staff and volunteers—but also to our fabulously generous supporters!
We hired some additional help to cut up and remove some of the extra-large branches that had fallen, like these near Robbie and Dianne’s aerial runway.
Because of the extent of the damage, not only have we been stuck with the expense of numerous unexpected repairs, we have also had to hire extra help (a roofer, an arborist, etc.) for special tasks. And, of course, we needed to find a new pickup truck to replace the one that was totaled.
Our Animal Care staff is thrilled with the new pickup truck we were able to buy, to replace the one that got totaled, thanks to the help of generous donors!
We sent out an emergency e-blast on Valentine’s Day, soon followed by a direct mail appeal—and the response so far has been heartwarming. Not only that, our wonderful allies and friends at the American Anti-Vivisection Society also asked their members to contribute to our recovery, resulting in a surprising (but very welcome!) addition to our income.
We are all grateful to everyone who has responded so generously to our urgent appeals for emergency financial help!
To bring you up to date, here are a few more photos of the progress so far:
Our roofer Matt puts the finishing touches on the roof of Gibbon House #6, home to Palu-Palu and Jade as well as Robbie and Dianne.
Mounds of debris line the street leading up to the IPPL sanctuary.
Henry removes some fallen pine branches that are squashing our stands of bamboo.
Staffers Rachel and Samantha add a few more branches to the impressive piles accumulating at the edge of the sanctuary.
George the tree trimmer hitched himself up to alarming heights in order to remove dangerous snagged tree limbs.
IPPL staffer Hardy tests the temporary patch on the roof of Palu-Palu and Jade’s outdoor enclosure. We are awaiting delivery of new roof panels to replace the dented ones.